Officer and orderly jailed for corruption

A POLICE officer and a court orderly have each been sentenced to jail for crimes involving corruption.

Constable Frederico Franke, who worked at the Kleinmond police station, entered into a plea and sentencing agreement in the Strand Magistrate’s Court on a charge of corruption and two charges of defeating the administration of justice for being involved in abalone smuggling.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Franke had hatched a plan with two others, Elias Mamadou and Geoffrey Visser, to pull over a vehicle, seize abalone and take some of it for themselves to sell at a later stage for R20 000.

“On the morning of May 10, 2016, Visser drove from Hermanus with his bakkie loaded with dried abalone heading to Kleinmond. He was pulled over by a marked police vehicle. He stopped the vehicle and fled on foot as was planned. The accused (Franke) and his partner, Constable Booyse, took over the vehicle and drove towards Kleinmond, where they offloaded some of the abalone into another bakkie.

“Geoffrey reported the vehicle as stolen as was agreed and Franke later returned it to him. An official of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry

After an investigation the men were arrested and detained

Eric Ntabazalila

NPA spokesperson

and Fisheries weighed the dried abalone and it weighed 142.28kg. The two police officers were paid for their contribution.

“After an investigation Constable Franke, Constable L Booyse and Mamadou were arrested and detained at the Caledon police station,” said NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.

He said they appeared in court on Friday and Franke entered into a plea and sentencing deal with the State, where the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

Separately in the Strand Magistrate’s Court, Warrant Officer Walter Sinden worked as court orderly when he was accused of receiving and supplying drugs to prisoners in the court cells.

The NPA said that a set-up was staged during which an agent made contact with Sinden.

“The agent handed Sinden 50 mandrax tablets and R400 in cash. When police attempted to stop Sinden, he drove off, throwing away the mandrax tablets, and managed to evade arrest. He was arrested later that day.

“He appeared in court on February 8 and was convicted on all charges. He was sentenced to five years direct imprisonment for dealing in drugs, five years direct imprisonment for corruption, two years direct imprisonment for defeating the administration of justice and one year for reckless or negligent driving,” Ntabazalila said.